


to build a home

by gabilliam (vvhymack)



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: I'm not entirely sure what to tag this, M/M, bartender!yuta, mostly doyu centric tbh, there's single dad jaehyun its p cute ngl
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-19
Updated: 2019-02-19
Packaged: 2019-10-31 20:04:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 18,501
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17856092
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/vvhymack/pseuds/gabilliam
Summary: Doyoung was delicate. He walked with an air of not knowing where he was going that hinted at something deeper than simply being new to a town. He was huddled into his hoodie, maybe because of the cold, maybe because he wanted to collapse into himself. Right then, with moonlight hitting his cheekbones and bathing him in melancholy celestial light, he looked like an enigma waiting to be solved.





	to build a home

**Author's Note:**

> this is unbeta'd and less of a cohesive story and more of a slice of life tale but i hope u like it anyway. title from: to build a home by the cinematic orchestra

Yuta rubbed the bar enthusiastically. He was neither enthusiastic about the task nor anything else, in particular, that day;  he simply had excess energy to expend before he could head home. The clock was nearing 5 p.m. and he’d been working the day shift and he was _so close_ to freedom.

Nakamoto Yuta by no means hated his job. It was something he was good at and something he actively enjoyed doing. It paid well enough for him to live comfortably since they were situated in a college town that brought in an abundance of customers, providing him with a stable income. The people he worked with were great for the most part, except for a couple of part-timers who were real assholes but those were far and few in between his 7 years being employed in the establishment.

So by all means, Yuta wasn’t exactly _rushing_ to get out the door because he hated his job, he was simply rushing because it was a Friday and soon the night crowds would come in and Yuta had a date with his bed and his Crunchyroll.

“Hey,” Johnny slides up beside him, bumping their hips together. “What did that bar ever do to you?”

“Nothing!” Yuta replied brightly. “I’m just excited to get home!”

“Oh, you’re not going to be around to meet the new guy?” Johnny asked. Yuta paused his rigorous rubbing. He had completely forgotten about the new hire.

The reason it had slipped Yuta’s mind was that it was such an unconventional hire. There had been no interview process and most of the team hadn’t even seen the man. Taeil had simply told them a week ago that they would get a new full-time server and when they inquired, Taeil had informed them it was an old friend of his and to stop asking questions. It gave the man a sense of mystery that Yuta wasn’t sure how he felt about. On one hand, he liked intrigue and drama but on the other, he enjoyed stability and the current dynamics they all had.

His coworkers were like family to him and he had spent most of his working career with them. Taeil had hired Yuta when he was just 20 and struggling through university. At the time, La Lune had been less than half its current size and less popular since it was a new place that the locals didn’t quite trust yet. Hiring Johnny and Yuta meant them convincing their friends and classmates to try out the place and hiring Taeyong as an assistant chef meant that the customers got what they wanted: good food, alcohol and good people. Yuta and Johnny were natural charmers, flirtatious but good natured and the spot quickly became a cult favourite. It’s rising popularity could also be accredited it to being a safe space for minorities, which was something they prided themselves in and actively worked to maintain.

Over the years, they picked up Jungwoo as a manager. Even though the boy was younger than most of them at the time, he was an extraordinary manager and struck fear in the hearts of most people so he did well. They also picked up Ten and Nayoung - full-time servers - and Yukhei and Jaemin, both part-timers, along with acquiring the storefront beside theirs and expanding their store. With the occasional passerby who worked temporarily but never stuck around for long enough, at 27 years of age, Yuta had a close bond with all his coworkers and even some regulars. He didn’t want that stability rocked by a stranger none of them knew.

“Well, Jungwoo’s met him and _he_ likes him,” Johnny said when Yuta mentioned his concern. This only soothed Yuta a little. Jungwoo was a good judge of character, for sure, but he was also a fucking weirdo. He would let in a destabilizing force just to mess with them. He thought back, trying to remember if any of them had fucked with Jungwoo recently enough for him to exact vengeance.

“Yeah, well, I’d love to stick around but,” Yuta shrugged before looking at the clock. Ten past five; freedom. “I gotta dash. Got a hot date with my comforter and some take out.”

“Have fun,” Johnny laughed, patting Yuta on the back. “You’ll meet him tomorrow anyway.”

As Yuta left, he already saw the oncoming wave of students and young workers making their way towards the bars and restaurants in the area and he thanked his lucky stars that he was going in the opposite direction.  

It wasn’t until past 10 p.m. that he got a text.

_jaehyunnie_

hey, what shift do u have tomorrow

 

_You_

the night shift

 

_jaehyunnie_

can u pick up hara for me from school? johnny has the morning shift

 

_You_

yea sure!

have you met the new server yet?

 

_jaehyunnie_

no i havent been in today but i think taeil’s gonna throw a welcome party for him or something at some point probably right?

 

Jaehyun was one of Yuta’s college friends turned regular at the bar. His 4-year-old daughter was the light of their collective existence. Jaehyun worked long, impossible hours at a firm to be able to provide for Hara, with all of them pitching in whatever support they could. Hara’s mother had left her at Jaehyun’s door when he was just 21 years old with a note that said it was his child from a one night stand.

This seemed unlikely considering that 9 months ago, Jaehyun was at home for break and that Jaehyun simply wasn’t the type to have a one night stand. He was a ridiculous romantic and didn’t sleep around. He was also exploring his bisexuality at the time and didn’t recall sleeping with any people with the necessary internal workings to be able to be impregnated. Despite it all, Jaehyun was a soft soul and fell in love with the child instantly, bonding with her whether she was his biological offspring or not. He even refused to do a paternity test. As far as he was concerned, she was his.

It was noble, undoubtedly, but also hard so they did all they could to help him. Hara had around 19 uncles and 3 aunts constantly playing with her, babysitting her, feeding her, making sure she felt no want in her fragile life while Jaehyun graduated and accepted the first that job that would pay him a living wage and give him benefits, even if they did work him to the bone, rising through the ranks through sheer hard work and lack of sleep.

Yuta did what he could. He babysat Hara, he picked her up or dropped her off to school or playdates. Those were a big thing with Jaehyun currently, since Hara was starting to make friends and just started kindergarten. At least they’d gotten over the potty training phase. He didn’t mind it since Hara was as gentle as any child that was raised by Jaehyun would be. Despite the multitude of people in her life, from the chaos of Taeil and Yuta, who were playful and loud to the stability of Johnny and Kun, who fathered her easily, to the awkward love of Taeyong and Sicheng, Hara had inherited Jaehyun’s sense of calm. Whether it was by nature or nurture, Hara was a gentle soul that took after her father in many ways, despite the rest of her family being absolute weirdos.

She was bright and curious and tenderhearted. Sometimes, it scared Yuta, knowing he couldn’t protect her kind heart from the inevitable cruelty of the world. But he would try, and even if he couldn’t stop the world from hurting her, he’d be there to pick up the pieces and patch her up again.

It was something he tried not to think about as he went to pick her up, not wanting her to pick up on any negativity. When she bound towards him in full speed and leapt into his arms, he hugged her tight.

“Yuta-hyung,” She sang out, still in his arms. She didn’t use any other honorifics on them for the most part, simply because they weren’t sure what she’d use anyway and they didn’t particularly want to be called ajusshi just yet at the tender age of 27.

“Hara~,” He sang back and she giggled. “How was school?”

“Good! Do you know fish?”

Yuta paused in his action of buckling her in the backseat of Taeil’s borrowed car.

“Do I know fish?” Yuta asked, tilting his head.

“Yes! They live in water!” Hara informed him and turned solemn and whispered. “We eat them.”

“Really?” Yuta asked. “Well, do you want to have fish for lunch?”

Her small face grew conflicted. Yuta watched with amusement as she tried to figure out her verdict.

“I mean,” She sighed dramatically. “They shouldn’t be so tasty if they don’t want to be eaten.”

“That’s a good point,” Yuta said with a laugh.

Spending time with Hara was easy and time-consuming, so much so that Yuta didn’t really notice how much time had passed until Jaehyun was letting himself into Yuta’s place at half past 5.

“Hey, sorry I’m late,” Jaehyun muttered before brightening when Hara turned around and squealed. “Hi, baby!”

Hara yelled incoherently, flinging herself into his waiting arms with glee. Perhaps a touch overdramatic but it was routine for them. Yuta watched on fondly, already dressed for work. He wasn’t required to wear a uniform but Yuta did like dressing up a little, putting on well-fitting clothes and adorning himself with light jewellery and a smidge of makeup.

“It’s fine, Johnny’s covering for me for the time being,” Yuta replied, already making to leave. He didn’t want to keep Johnny at work too long, considering the night crowd would start filing in soon if they hadn’t already. “But I gotta run now. I’ve already fed her lunch, there's some leftover in the fridge.”

“Thanks,” Jaehyun said with a smile and Yuta smiled back before remembering the time, waving goodbye and hurrying it out. He paused and ran back in and kissed Hara in the cheek before sprinting off again, smiling at her delighted laughter.

The place was already busy by the time Yuta arrived but Johnny didn’t seem too stressed when Yuta passed him by, throwing his jacket and bag under the counter for the time being. He started taking orders immediately, laughing with the customers and chatting with the regulars amiably, keeping up with Nayoung and Ten’s orders. Jaemin primarily went to Yukhei. They kept him busy for a couple of hours that Yuta simply waved Johnny goodbye when he left. Yukhei had come in for the night to help with the crowd at the bar and his party tricks, which he spent an immense amount of time googling and practising, were drawing the crowd away from Yuta enough to give him a little break. He took a moment, looking out into the crowd until a voice startled him back into the present.

“Vodka high ball for Table 6,” A man said quickly, looking at Yuta expectantly. Yuta looked back, eyes taking in the dark hair and fair face before dropping down to his uniform, which looked strikingly similar to the server's uniform at their establishment. It took a raised eyebrow from the man to move Yuta into action.

“So you’re the new server?” Yuta asked, grabbing the ingredients he needed.

“Yeah,” The man said shortly. Yuta didn’t take it rudely, knowing they were both on the clock and the floor was busy. It was hardly the place for small talk but looking up, Yuta found the man’s face closed off, staring at the drink Yuta was making with a faraway look, as though he wasn’t entirely there. It piqued Yuta’s interest, especially when Yuta slide the drinks to him and the man gave him a soft smile, as though apologizing for his demeanour before disappearing into the crowd again.

He appeared at other times during the night, going to Yukhei a few times but mostly coming to Yuta and soon the lack of conversation became comfortable. Yuta tried to keep an eye out for the man during the night when he could if only to look out for the new hire. He noticed him smiling brightly at customers and if he watched a few moments longer, he’d see the smile disappear as the man turned away. He saw him pause in hesitance a few times before going ahead. It was nearing the end of the night after a regular had ranted enough to Yuta and slunk off with promises of going home that Yuta noticed the man standing, looking with hesitance at Yukhei, who was still surrounded by loud people. When he looked over at Yuta instead, Yuta made eye contact and waved him over and he saw the man sheepishly approach him.

“I’m sorry if I’m bothering you a lot,” The man said sheepishly. “I know you’re with your customers.”

“Don’t be ridiculous,” Yuta said easily. “It’s my job. What’s the order?”

The man rattled off the order, a little out of breath by the end, looking visibly exhausted. Yuta felt a little man for him. His first two days had been during rush days which undoubtedly left him tired to his bone.

“Sit,” Yuta said, nodding at the chair in front of him. “This might take a while.”

“I should go take someone else’s order and check if everything is okay,” The man sighed, standing up straighter and wiping his face.

“Sit,” Yuta said insistently. “Rest for a bit. You’ve been running around all night.”

“That’s my job,” The man pointed out but he didn’t move away.

“Take a break,” Yuta said. “So you’ll have more energy for later.”

The man took Yuta’s advice, hopping on to a stool in front of him. He crossed his arms on the bar and hunched into them, close to just laying his head in his arms. Instead, he watched Yuta work silently, eyes following Yuta’s hands as he mixed and created. Soon, all the drinks were done and placed on Doyoung’s tray carefully. Before letting him take it away, Yuta stopped him.

“Have you taken your break yet?” He asked.

“It’s quite busy,” The man pointed out.

“Ten and Nayoung can handle it,” Yuta said. “Take your break after this.”

The man looked at Yuta, tilting his head and Yuta looked back. After a moment, the man nodded and disappeared. Yuta stared after him until someone else blocked his view and he went back into his job. It wasn’t long after that last call rang out and people started meandering out. The few stragglers were escorted out quietly by Jungwoo and Taeil, conversing with them calmly until they were out the door, making sure they weren’t entirely plastered and were getting on their way home before closing the doors behind them and locking it.

“Yuta!” Taeil said with too much energy for well past 3 in the morning. “I didn’t get a chance to say hello!”

“Hey,” Yuta said with a laugh. It had happened a few times before, where they were all so busy with their own thing that they barely interacted despite being in the same place for 9 hours. Jungwoo joined them and leaned against the counter.

“Can I have some orange juice?” He asked, looking at the liquor bottles behind Yuta longingly.

“Are you sure it’s orange juice you want?” Yuta teased, reaching into the mini fridge to pull out a cool bottle of orange juice.

“Yes,” Jungwoo insisted, wrinkling his nose at Yuta when he laughed in response.

“Seriously, hyung?” Jaemin said with disdain as he appeared behind them, already ready to leave with his backpack slung over his shoulder. Yukhei wasn’t far behind him, still brighter than Jaemin.

“Begone, children,” Jungwoo huffed, waving the younger away, as though he wasn’t even two years their senior, clutching his head in mock agony until they disappeared out the door, calling out their goodbyes to everyone else in the establishment. Taeil patted Jungwoo in the back before hopping off the stool, making his way to the back offices. Nayoung was next to wander off, barely stopping by to say goodbye and ruffling Jungwoo’s hair before ducking out the back door with practised ease. Their current bouncers left with her, undoubtedly walking her to her KakaoTaxi before going home. That only left Ten, who was still trapezing about, cleaning up efficiently and quickly.

And their new hire.

Yuta craned his head to look for the new man but didn’t see him anywhere.

“Jungwoo,” Yuta said and Jungwoo looked up. “We did hire someone new, right? I didn’t imagine it?”

“We did,” Jungwoo confirmed. “He’s probably in Taeil’s office.”

True to Jungwoo’s word, the man and Taeil came out of the offices moments later, in deep conversation which stopped when they looked up and saw Jungwoo and Yuta staring at them.

“Hey,” Taeil said, walking over with the man in tow. “You guys did well today!”

It was something Taeil did often. At first, he used to say it in perpetual surprise that things were going well but eventually they became words of affirmation and familiarity. Yuta simply smiled at while Jungwoo groaned softly.

“Drunk people are so annoying,” He whined.

“You’re in the wrong business if you find drunk people annoying,” Taeil’s companion pointed out and Jungwoo narrowed his eyes at him.

“You’re in the wrong business overall, Doyoung hyung, but you don’t see me calling you out,” Jungwoo said airily. The comment piqued Yuta’s interest, wondering how much more Jungwoo knew about this man than Yuta did.

“Okay, Jungwoo, go home,” Taeil said laugh a laugh, poking the grumpy manager until he hopped off the chair and went to gather his things. “Rest well.”

“I’m heading home too,” Ten said, suddenly appearing and taking Jungwoo’s place. He turned his starry eyes on Yuta, jutting out his bottom lip. “One for the road?”

“You lot are going to bleed me dry,” Taeil complained as Yuta automatically fixed a quick drink for Ten, which he downed in one go and peaced out, Jungwoo close at his heels. “Stop making drinks for anyone who asks!”

“But that’s my job,” Yuta pointed out calmly.

“God,” Taeil massaged his forehead before shaking his head. “Anyway. Yuta, this is Doyoung. He’s an old friend of mine and he’s going to be working here as a full-time server for the foreseeable future.”

“Hi,” The man- Doyoung said, waving his hands awkwardly.

“Hello,” Yuta waved back, observing him now that he wasn’t surrounded by people and on the job. Yuta was almost unconsciously observant and judgemental, not necessarily in a negative way but more so in a way that allows him to understand a person within a few seconds. It’s important for his job, being the over counter therapist that he was many nights.

Doyoung thought he looked closed off, with his crossed arms and straight stature and empty eyes but he let on more than he thought. His crossed arms ended with hands that were clutching the sleeve of his hoodie, as though he was holding himself in rather than keeping the world out. The purposeful emptiness in his eyes only begged the question of why they weren’t bright and shining, why they were almost touching sadness.  Yuta thought it would be impolite to bring it up, though, so he let it go.

“Yuta’s your hyung,” Taeil told Doyoung. “He’s been working for me pretty much since I started this place.”

“I know,” Doyoung said with a soft smile. “You talk a lot about your workers, hyung.”

“Well,” Taeil turned red and bashful and Yuta felt a surge of fondness for the short man.

“There’s a lot to talk about,” Yuta intervened. “You’ll find out soon enough. We’re like a family.”

“That’s really nice,” Doyoung said with sincerity bleeding into his voice, eyes earnest. He was still holding himself back but his posture was relaxing as he leaned into the easy conversation. Yuta kept it up, asking surface level questions like how Taeil and Doyoung knew each other (They had grown up in the same town and went to school together) to where Doyoung was staying (Currently with Taeil, but he was looking for his own affordable place).

“Nayoung’s boyfriend is a real estate agent, isn’t he?” Yuta asked Taeil.

“Boyfriend?” Taeil asked. “What happened to that sweet girl she was dating?”

“They broke up like 3 weeks ago,” Yuta tutted. “Keep up, Taeil hyung.”

“Well, if she is maybe she can help out Doyoungie here,” Taeil shrugged.

“I’ll ask her tomorrow. I’m surprised she didn’t bring it up herself,” Yuta said. He picked up his bag, never having had the time to even take it to the break room.

“We’ve been busy with the weekend rush, we didn’t really have time to talk a lot,” Doyoung said fairly.

“Yuta, you’re leaving?” Taeil asked suddenly and Yuta froze in the middle of putting on his jacket.

“Y-es?” He asked. Should he _not_ be leaving? Taeil looked at Doyoung and Yuta wondered whether they were pretending to be more professional in front of the stranger.

“Great! Can you walk Doyoung home? I have to stay behind and work a little more and he doesn’t quite know the way yet,” Taeil said and Yuta continued his action, nodding his head.

“That’s unnecessary,” Doyoung rushed to say. “I’m sure I can figure it out, it’s not that far.”

“It’s alright,” Yuta insisted. It was late and no time to be getting lost. “It’s really close to my own place, so it’s not like I’m going out of my way.”

“I-” Doyoung started but then paused, fidgeting with his fingers. “If you’re sure.”

“I am. Are you ready to go?”

“Yeah, I am,”

They said their goodbyes to Taeil, Yuta warning him to not work too late, which Taeil laughed off. Yuta wasn’t particularly worried. He knew Taeil preferred to pull an all-nighter to finish work so he could have an easier time later. It worked for him and Yuta let it be. He walked out with Doyoung and pulled his jacket’s zipper shut, not anticipating the cool breeze in advance.

“It’s getting colder,” He commented as they started walking. Doyoung hummed beside him but didn’t say anything, walking at a good distance away from him so they had no chance of bumping into each other. Each new observation mystified Yuta more and he wondered if it was time yet, to ask, to get answers. He didn’t know if deserved them yet.

The silence was awkward, even if Yuta tried to pretend it wasn’t. The night was well lit, the moon hanging low and bright for them and so Yuta snuck a look at the man trailing behind him.

Doyoung was- well, he was delicate. He walked with an air of not knowing where he was going that hinted at something deeper than simply being new to a town. He was huddled into his hoodie, maybe because of the cold, maybe because he wanted to collapse into himself. Right then, with moonlight hitting his cheekbones and bathing him in melancholy celestial light, he looked like an enigma waiting to be solved.

Their eyes met and Yuta grinned at him, watching surprise play across his wide eyes. It was satisfying. Doyoung’s eye looked like they were meant to be expressive.

“You’re going to trip,” Doyoung said, breaking the silence, making Yuta whip his head forward only to be met with no obstacles. He slowed his stride so he was walking alongside Doyoung.

“Liar,” He said lightly, with no real bite.

“Am not,” Doyoung argued. “I’d have tripped and fallen.”

“You must have terrible balance then,” Yuta commented. “I have excellent balance.”

“That’s a weird thing to boast about to a person you’ve just met, you know,” Doyoung said, snark colouring his voice, surprising Yuta pleasantly.

“Hm, maybe, but I’ve been told I’m a weird person,” Yuta shot back.

“Oh, edgy,” Doyoung replied, almost teasingly and Yuta failed to bite back a smile. The atmosphere eased a little and Doyoung allowed Yuta to walk beside him the rest of the way, no longer hanging back. They were at Taeil’s door when they spoke again.

“Thank you,” Doyoung said politely and Yuta shrugged.

“My place is right there,” Yuta said, pointing around the corner. “You can’t see it but it’s the third building to the left once you take a right.”

“Oh,” Doyoung said faintly. “That’s nice.”

Yuta looked at the man and any hesitancy he had over his next words faded.

“You should come by,” Yuta offered. “If you ever get sick of Taeil’s face.”

Maybe he was being rash and too forward but after a moment of blinking silently, Doyoung cracked a soft, hesitant smile.

“Um, sure,” He said. “That’d be nice.”

“Uh-huh,” Yuta agreed before stepping back. “See you tomorrow?”

“Yeah,” Doyoung nodded. They stood there for another minute. “Are you going to leave?”

“Yeah, I’m waiting for you to enter,” Yuta responded before making a shoo-ing gesture that Doyoung looked at with a raised eyebrow.

“Why?”

“Because I’m a gentleman?” Yuta said. Doyoung gave him a strange look before moving towards the door. He paused before he entered.

“See you tomorrow, weird well-balanced gentleman,” He said softly before slipping through the door. Yuta grinned at the thought that Doyoung had actually listened to him and absorbed the information as he walked home, still grinning when he arrived at his own place.

Doyoung integrated pretty easily into their workflow, if only because he was quiet and a team player. Days turned into more than a week of working together and Yuta didn’t really _know_ much about the other man. This shouldn’t be that strange, people didn’t always immediately spill their entire backstories but it felt off to Yuta, having someone in their midst that he didn’t _know_ know. Doyoung was always willing to listen, though, and that’s how Yuta found himself leaning against the bar on a particularly lazy day with only their regulars milling about, talking to Doyoung.

“Not that this isn’t riveting,” Doyoung said in a voice that indicated the exact opposite. This delighted Yuta, he loved it when Doyoung was snarky at him, letting his polite veneer fall. “But don’t you have customers to attend to instead of giving me a blow by blow of what happened at your last soccer game with your friends?”

“What customers?” Yuta snorted. It was earlier than lunch hour and everyone was _eating_ , not chugging alcohol at the bar, except a few older people Yuta had already served that were enjoying having their drink in peace. “These are our regulars.”

“Hm,” Doyoung hummed. “Tell me about them.”

Yuta looked around, taking into account who was there.

“You already know the oldies,” Yuta said, having introduced them earlier. Yuta pointed at the table in the corner. “That’s Kun and Sicheng. They’re Chinese. Kun is here every other day, he’s a screenwriter. Also dating Johnny. And Ten. Sicheng is a ‘model’.” Yuta put Sicheng’s occupation in air quotes and Doyoung raised a curious eyebrow. “We’re trying to get him to take acting roles but he doesn’t think he’s talented enough but he’s pretty big in the modelling world.”

“Ah,” Doyoung mused.

“Jaehyun hasn’t dropped by yet but you’ll get to know him soon enough. He’s really busy all the time, he has this 4-year-old so he works all the time. You know Taeil, obviously, and Johnny and Taeyong.”

“I do,” Doyoung said. “I know Ten and Jungwoo as well. What about the two part-timers?”

“Xuxi and Jaemin? They’re seniors at university, they only work here weekends and the odd weekday shift they have time for if they want extra cash,” Yuta informed him. “Speaking of the Dreamies-”

“The Dreamies?” Doyoung interrupted.

“Yeah, it’s a dumb nickname we use to tease them because one time, there was karaoke night here and they all sang together and cried. It was hilarious, I have it on video,” Yuta said with a laugh. They were the only young regulars they had who showed up on weekdays. It baffled Yuta at times since he doubted a _bar_ is really the place you want to spend your free time at university but the group had made a home in a circular booth that they claimed as their own and put the reserved tab on willy nilly without informing any of the staff. “There’s Yukhei, Mark, Yangyang, Xiaojun, Hendery, Renjun-”

“What’re they, a boyband?? That’s a large friend group,” Doyoung said with a hint of awe.

“-Jeno, Donghyuck, Jaemin, Chenle _and_ Jisung,” Yuta finished this list with a flourish and Doyoung stared at him, as though trying to figure out if he was joking.

“No way,” Doyoung stated firmly. “There’s no way so many - what was that, 10 people? There’s no way they coexist peacefully.”

“They don’t,” Yuta said gleefully. “There’s so much drama, it’s why it’s so fun. They’re all like in love with each other and half of them don’t want to admit it and they’re _so_ funny. They're ridiculous Gen Z kids.”

“You’re weirdly invested in their lives,” Doyoung said with a roll of his eyes.

“Told you I’m weird. And you will be too! Just wait till you see them,” Yuta promised. It was hard not to adore and be endlessly entertained by the Dreamies. Yuta had once told Kun to write a TV show on them and sell it to a network. Kun had genuinely considered it for a moment. “What about you?”

“Me?” Doyoung asked, crossing his arms against his chest.

“What’s your friend group like?”

An awkward silence followed the question and Yuta’s eyes tracked Doyoung’s movements, the way he opened his mouth and sucked in a breath as though to say something before letting it go. It was tense, Doyoung’s eyes glazing over as he was contemplating something Yuta couldn’t see. Perhaps the lack of an answer should have been an answer in itself and Yuta didn’t want to push but something in the twitching of Doyoung’s fingers kept him from brushing it under the rug and continuing their conversation.

Thankfully, before Yuta could decide what the right move was, Ten slid up next to them, plopping on the stool.

“Someone just asked me what the chef recommended,” Ten said, baffled. “We’re a _bar_ . We sell _bar food_.”

Yuta bit back a snort. The high reviews on Yelp of Taeyong’s cooking occasionally brought in tourists and non-locals, much to Ten’s dismay. He insisted he was _not_ a waiter at a bougie restaurant for a _reason_.

“What did you recommend?” Yuta asked.

“Told them it was a surprise and gave them whatever Taeyong had prepared,” Ten shrugged. “What’re you guys whispering about?”

Ten was nosy by nature and he was also incredibly observant, perhaps even more perceptive than Yuta. The difference was that while Yuta used his information to create bonds and make the other person comfortable, Ten would keep it as an ace up his sleeve. He wanted to know everyone around him intimately and have an upper hand.

“The Dreamies,” Yuta replied swiftly where Doyoung let the silence hang awkwardly.

“Those demons,” Ten huffed, eyes flicking to Yuta only momentarily to let him know he knew something was up before continuing speaking to Doyoung. “God help you when you meet them.”

Ten, famously, was not a fan of children. He insisted that it was why he wasn’t working at a higher end place or a proper restaurant because he’d rather deal with an adult’s messes than childrens. The kids constantly reminded him they were legal when he side-eyed them and he stuck his tongue out at them, reminding them they were _barely_ legal and still dumb enough to certify as _children_.

Yuta was called away by one of his customers and when he came back, Doyoung and Ten were talking about something else entirely. Yuta stood back and watched the two, amused at their dynamic of bickering and thinly veiled hostility. Doyoung had already stated that astrology was fake and MBTI types were misleading and proven to be a little off so rationally, Ten had to tear him to shreds. Doyoung wasn’t one to be broken, at least not by the likes of Ten and while he shot back at Ten every time, he was more closed off with him than he was with Yuta, which gave Yuta a slight ego boost.

The more Yuta observed Doyoung, the more curious he became. He tried not to be creepy about it but the stiff way Doyoung held himself was alluring in the way it was almost begging to be unravelled. And whenever Yuta’s eyes lingered a little too long on the angular face and barely toned arms, he berated himself and tore his gaze away. He was simply curious, he wasn’t ogling. Of course, Doyoung was attractive but Yuta was surrounded by attractive people. His partner at work was _Johnny_ , for God’s sake so he was rather jaded when it came to outrageously good looks.

But what got Yuta’s heart racing and palm sweating wasn’t that Doyoung was inhumanely beautiful, it was that he was viscerally and _humanly_ attractive. He wasn’t traditionally beautiful and didn’t particularly exceed beauty standards- he wasn’t bad to look at but he wasn’t really anything special, objectively. But the way he held himself when he thought no one was looking, the look on his face when he was concentrating or talking or _existing_ , the way he rolled up the sleeves of his uniform shirt- it all made Yuta become aware of how personally attracted to their new hire he really was.

He filed the information away, choosing not to act on it for a myriad of reasons, most dominantly that he didn’t _know_ Doyoung. Yuta wasn’t averse to one night stands but Doyoung was hardly that. Yuta wasn’t sure for how long he would continue to be a fixture in his life but he imagined for the foreseeable future once Doyoung got his own apartment.

Once the issue had been presented to Nayoung, she’d found a solution quickly enough, a few days barely passing before she’d descended upon Doyoung and asked when he was free for viewings. Doyoung always came back from their outings looking windswept. It was understandable since Nayoung was a force of nature. Yuta often found Doyoung sliding up to his side of the bar when he wasn’t working and muttering about housing prices and landlords and capitalism.

Yuta humoured him, letting him go off on his tangent while wondering what exactly Doyoung did before coming to their bar that lead him to speak so eloquently.

“Not that people can’t speak eloquently,” Yuta insisted at Ten when they were the only two left to close up.

“Uh-huh,” Ten said, his voice amused.

“Really! It’s just that the way he speaks when he’s passionate about something or really into it is so-” Yuta trailed off, trying to find the right words and failing. “He has so many big thoughts.”

“I don’t know,” Ten said with a snort. “He speaks pretty normally to me. Maybe you have a little crush.”

Yuta huffed, not wanting to dignify that with a response. He could hardly say that Doyoung was _different_ around him, knowing he would sound egotistical and delusional. It was hard to put into words how Doyoung simply seemed to let loose around Yuta in a way he didn’t around Ten or anyone else, though he was becoming more comfortable with them as days went on.

They were well into the second week of having Doyoung around when he finally met the Dreamies on a normal school day when both Doyoung and Yuta worked the morning shift. It was a slow day so when a group of boys suddenly entered the bar, Doyoung seemed confused and alarmed. Yuta bit back a laugh.

“They don’t bite,” Yuta said in a low voice. They were standing as such, with Yuta with his elbows in the bar, leaning out and Doyoung leaning back on the bar, that they were actually pretty close.

“Yes, they do,” Doyoung muttered back. “They’re teenage boys. Shouldn’t they be in school? I’m pretty sure _that_ one isn’t even legal!”

Yuta looked over the direction Doyoung was trying not to blatantly point and laughed loudly, getting the attention of the boys, who waved enthusiastically at him.

“That’s Xiaojun, he’s Yukhei’s age,” Yuta said hurriedly before calling out. “What’re you lot doing here? Don’t you have school?”

Two of the boys from the crowd detached themselves and made their way to Yuta and Doyoung while the others headed for the ‘reserved’ booth that Yuta had no recollection of reserving.

“We just finished handing in assignments,” Renjun pouted, leaning his small body against the bar dramatically.  “It’s ridiculous how all the teachers assign everything to be submitted in the same week! It’s like they plan it!”

“You’re a senior?” Yuta asked, ruffling Renjun’s hair to his chargain. “Shouldn’t you be used to this?”

“I mistakenly thought they would let us write our thesis in peace,” Renjun muttered darkly while staring longingly at the liquor stacked up behind Yuta. He then looked at Yuta, who shook his head resolutely. It was still daylight and he refused to serve them any alcohol. Renjun pouted and his eyes wandered to the other man, lighting up in curiosity.

“Jeno, it’s the new guy,” Renjun said, striking Jeno with an elbow.

“The _new guy_ can hear you,” Jeno muttered lowly before smiling brightly at Doyoung, who blinked in surprise at the enthusiasm being laid on him. “Hi! I’m Jeno!”

Jeno bowed and Renjun looked on with a raised eyebrow before looking at Yuta, wordlessly asking if _he_ should bow. Yuta shook his head discreetly, trying not to double over in laughter.

“I’m Doyoung,” Doyoung said softly.

“Doyoung hyung,” Jeno tested out the words in his mouth. Yuta noted how the words made Doyoung smile. “This is Renjun. He usually has better manners but his brain is fried right now.”

“Don’t lie to the man, Jeno,” Renjun scoffed. “If he’s going to stick around, he should know the real me.”

Jeno rolled his eyes at Renjun’s edginess, before excusing himself and intertwining their hands and pulling a complaining Renjun back towards their friends.

“Should I go take their order?” Doyoung asked Yuta once they saw that Renjun and Jeno had somehow squeezed into the booth. Currently, from what Yuta could see, the headcount was six but he was sure the others would appear at some point as they always did.

“Sure,” Yuta said easily before noticing the way Doyoung looked on wearily at the newcomers. “Do you want help?”

“Huh?” Doyoung asked, frowning. “No, I can do it.”

Despite saying so, he didn’t move, instead fiddling with his notepad and biting his lip.

“Jeno seems nice enough,” Doyoung reasoned after a moment. Yuta nodded somberly.

“What’re you so worried about?” Yuta asked, amused. “They’re loud but they’re harmless.”

“It’s not that,” Doyoung insisted, turning to look at Yuta with wide eyes.

“Then what is it?” Yuta asked softly, leaning closer.

“I just-” Doyoung broke off, looking away before looking back at Yuta with clearer eyes, emotion blatant. Yuta felt oddly moved at the thought of Doyoung allowing him to see this. “I want them to like me.”

“ _Why?_ ” Yuta grinned, not mocking but simply curious as he always is of the way Doyoung ticks. He saw the way Doyoung bit his lip, mouthing words before finally uttering them.

“I used to be a teacher,” Doyoung admitted. “I like it when kids like me. It’s a bit of a complex.”

“Oh?” Yuta latched onto the information. “What did you teach?”

“I was just a tutor for my some of my neighbourhood kids and family kids,” Doyoung said dismissively, already closing off again. “It wasn’t my real job.”

“What was your real job?” Yuta asked but Doyoung didn’t answer, looking over at the table again. “Tell Ten to take the order.”

“No, he’s-” Doyoung waved at the corner Ten and Kun were huddled up in. Ten had said he’d only sit down for a minute but that had lapsed into half an hour since there were no customers Ten needed to attend to. “I can do this.”

Yuta followed his gaze and saw Yangyang and Donghyuck looking at them mischievously. He couldn’t see their eyes from so far away but he could tell from the way they were watching that they would pull some bullshit on Doyoung if he went alone. It barely took a moment to leave the bar and come stand beside a distracted Doyoung, who startled when he realized there was no longer a bar between them. Yuta led the way to the loud booth that didn’t quiet even when he stood in front of them with arms crossed.

“Hey!” Yuta said, clapping his hands and making the booth quiet down.

“Hi, Yuta-hyung,” Xiaojun said, waving with a smile. The others quickly followed in their greeting before deteriorating into conversation with each other again. “How are you?”

“Better if you all listened to me,” Yuta said mildly. Jeno banged the table twice, silencing everyone. “Thank you, although I hope you know that if you break that table, Taeil might cry.”

“I won’t break it,” Jeno protested, swatting off Renjun and Yangyang, who started poking at his biceps.

“Children,” Yuta announced, ignoring Hendery’s ‘ _We’re legal adults!’_ easily. “We have a new waiter, as I’m sure you know because you gremlins are incapable of not gossiping. He’s going to take your order now and you _will_ be nice. Any questions?”

Yangyang instantly raised a hand and Yuta acknowledged him with a sigh and a nod.

“For Doyoung hyung,” Yangyang started, his voice as though he was in a seminar and Yuta already wanted to strangle the boy. “Well, two questions. One, can I call you hyung? And two, did you murder someone and that’s why you moved away to start a new life?”

Yuta hid his face in his hands.

“One,” Doyoung replied, amusement evident in his voice. “Yes, you can. And two, if I did, why would I tell you?”

“Because you’re my hyung now!” Yangyang said eagerly. “You can trust me!”

“You absolutely cannot trust him,” Donghyuck interrupted. “You can trust _me_.”

“Can I please get some food?” Jeno interrupted, complaining loudly and sparing Doyoung the verbal assault that would have followed if they’d let Yangyang and Donghyuck continue. “I’m starving.”

It took the boys another 5 minutes to be able to decide on what food to get depending on _exactly_ how hungry they were but they finally got it done and Doyoung went to the kitchens to give Taeyong the order.

“Yuta hyung~,” Donghyuck and Yangyang sang in unison as soon as Doyoung was out of earshot and Yuta sighed.

“Yes, demons?” Yuta asked.

“He’s cute,” Donghyuck said, waggling his eyebrows suggestively at Yuta, who looked back unimpressed. “Come on, I saw the way you were looking at him. You didn’t need to be that close when standing at the bar.”

“I fail to see how any of this is your business,” Yuta said.

“So there _is_ something for it to potentially be our business,” Yangyang said.

“I will literally murder you two if you do _anything_ ,” Yuta said slowly, looking both Yangyang and Donghyuck long enough in the eye to put the fear of God in them if only momentarily, knowing they’d be back on their bullshit soon enough. “I will tell Johnny exactly how much Redbull you’ve consumed in the past 48 hours-”

“No,” Donghyuck gasped.

“- And I will tell Kun you mixed Redbull with vodka last time,” Yuta said with Yangyang, who paled slightly. “Multiple. Times.”

“Who told you that?” Yangyang whispered.

“I have my sources,” Yuta said wisely. “I’ve been in this establishment long enough that the walls talk to me. Don’t fuck with the new guy.”

Yuta walked away with that, keeping the fact that Jaemin fed him information in exchange for Yuta going over Jaemin’s assignments to himself. Yukhei just liked talking when mixing drinks and he let things slip.

The next few days consisted of the Dreamies coming by every day, which they would continue to do until they realized they had a new set of assignments to submit within the week and then they’d become hermits once again. It was a cycle Yuta had seen countless time but one that was interesting to watch when it came to how Doyoung reacted to it.

“I still think Xiaojun can’t possibly be a postgrad,” Doyoung whispered, looking at the boy sitting on a table alone surrounded by books. “Why is he so thin? Do we feed him?”

“He just had dinner, Doyoung-ah,” Yuta answered indulgently. He’d found that Doyoung had a very nurturing nature to him, worrying and doting on people in equal measure once he took them under his care which he seemed to immediately do to anyone younger than him.

“I’m tired of cooking, Doyoung-ah,” Taeyong said from beside them, saying Doyoung’s name the same way Yuta had. Yuta shot him a look from behind Doyoung and Taeyong stuck his tongue out at him quickly.

The night crowd was sparse at 2 a.m. on a weekday and they would soon be closing up. Taeyong had decided to close the kitchen early, claiming anyone who came after 2 a.m. wasn’t looking for food anyway.

“I’ll cook him something,” Doyoung mused. Taeyong looked at him curiously.

“Can you cook?” Taeyong asked.

“I can follow a recipe,” Doyoung said and Taeyong rolled his eyes, hopping off the stool.

“Stay out of my kitchen,” He said, jabbing a finger at Doyoung before walking off with his drink and settling into a booth Ten was wiping down.

“I’m going to ask him if he wants food,” Doyoung said resolutely and walked over to Xiaojun. Yuta watched in amusement as he talked to the petite boy, snickering when Xiaojun shook his head, probably at the offer of more food. Then, curiously, Doyoung didn’t leave as he was oft to do when holding a conversation. Instead, something Xiaojun seemed to be working on caught his eye and after a moment, he sat down beside the student, going through some papers. Yuta remembered Doyoung telling him he used to be a tutor and smiled at the scene.

His phone dinged just as he and Doyoung had walked out of the establishment. It had become somewhat of a habit if they both happened to work the same shift to walk home together. Initially, it had just been so that Doyoung wouldn’t get lost but now, Yuta liked to think there was no ulterior motive and they simply enjoyed each other’s company.

_jaehyunnie_

>_<  
i need a favour   
ik u have a shift tonight so u can say no its ok   
i’d ask johnny but he’s on a date night with kun and ik ten probably just joined them too

 

_You_

what is it lmao

 

_jaehyunnie_

can u spend the night w/ hara?

 

_You_

where r u going?

 

_jaehyunnie_

i’m gonna be here but i need to take some calls from intl clients and then head to work super early and i dont want her to be alone when she wakes up or get woken up by my voice

 

_You_

yea sure

 

_jaehyunnie_

thanks man i love u

_You_

lmao ik love u too

 

Yuta turned to Doyoung, who was looking at him expectantly. Despite only having done this a handful of times, Yuta felt bad missing it. It had become a comforting routine, the best way to wind down after a long day at work, even if some nights they walked in silence.

“I have to go to Jaehyun’s,” Yuta said. Doyoung tilted his head and frowned. “No, you haven’t met him yet. Don’t worry, even I haven’t seen his face in a good two weeks.”

“Okay,” Doyoung nodded. “Is he okay?”

“Busy, busy,” Yuta sighed. “Always busy.”

“His daughter is the one everyone goes on about, right?” Doyoung asked and Yuta laughed.

“Yeah,” Yuta said. “You should meet her sometime since you love kids so much.”

“I never told you I loved kids,” Doyoung said, genuine surprise tinting his voice.

“I have eyes, Doyoung,” Yuta grinned. “I’ve seen you interact with the Dreamies.”

“I- I didn’t think you were paying attention,” Doyoung said in a low voice, pulling at his sleeves. Yuta wished the moon to be brighter so he could see if it truly was a flush decorating Doyoung’s face.

“I’m always paying attention,” Yuta replied, just as softly, as though their exchange was a secret between them and the stars.

Doyoung stood silent, as though unsure of what to say. It would have been expected of Doyoung as he was before but now, he was rarely at a loss for words with Yuta.

“Well,” Yuta smiled brightly. “I have to get a cab. Text me when you get home, okay?”

“I don’t have your number,” Doyoung replied.

“Seriously?” Yuta exclaimed, his voice drawing the attention of the few stragglers still out at night. “Why not?”

“You never gave it to me?” Doyoung shot back before taking out his phone. “Just give it to me.”

“I can’t believe you don’t have my number,” Yuta grumbled.

“Do you have mine?” Doyoung asked with raised eyebrows. Yuta thought about it then smiled back sheepishly and rattled off his number.

“Call me when you get back!” Yuta reminded Doyoung once he’d hailed a cab. Doyoung saluted in response. Yuta watched Doyoung stand at the pavement until he was out of sight.

Yuta got into Jaehyun’s house without much noise or hassle. He could hear Jaehyun in the balcony, talking loudly to someone on a call and tapped the glass and waved before gesturing that he was going to go check on Hara. Jaehyun nodded before rolling his eyes so hard at the caller, it gave _Yuta_ a headache.

Hara was still asleep, unwoken by her father’s late night work. Yuta made sure she was covered and kissed her lightly on the forehead before sneaking back out of the room and heading to Jaehyun’s instead, flopping down on the bed. Yuta had spent the night often enough that he point blank refused to sleep on the couch anymore and Jaehyun’s bed was big enough for two since Hara used to sleep with him before she decided she wanted to be an independent 4-year-old and have her _own_ room. Aside from Jaehyun kicking him a few times, it was easier to share a bed than have to wake up with a backache and bad sleep, which only made Yuta cranky.

He’d almost fallen asleep when he heard his name being called lowly. He might have out a sound of acknowledgement but sleep weighed down too heavy on him to be sure.

“God, you’re like another baby,” He heard Jaehyun mutter, suddenly much closer and then he was enveloped in soft, heavy warmth. “You’ll catch a cold without a comforter in your dumb muscle tee shirt.”

The rant of the ramble cut off by Yuta sinking into unconsciousness, burrowing into the warmth gratefully. At some point, he woke up to a tiny body pressed against his, Hara’s grip on his wrist borderline painful and he made a sleepy note to get her nails cut before slipping back into slumber, putting a safeguarding arm over the sleeping child.

He felt like he’d barely slept before he was being shaken awake by a dressed and apologetic Jaehyun.

“I gotta go,” Jaehyun whispered. “Make sure she eats breakfast.”

“Always do,” Yuta said, voice rough from sleep. “Did you get any sleep?”

“Got a couple of hours in,” Jaehyun said, exhaustion evident in his voice. “Taeil hyung said he’s going to drop her to school, so don’t worry about that.”

Yuta nodded, blearily watching Jaehyun kiss Hara and pat Yuta’s leg before leaving.

He was only awoken again by Hara physically pulling open his eyes.

“ _What_ exactly are you doing, Ms. Hara?” He muttered, laughing when the child jumped.

“You have brown eyes,” Hara said slowly.

“I do,” Yuta said, blinking sleep away from his eyes. “What colour is my hair?”

“Yellow!” Hara exclaimed, then frowned. “Was it always yellow?”

“Nope,” Yuta replied. “I made it yellow.”

“Can I make mine yellow?”

“When you grow older, if you want,” Yuta conceded.

Hara was full of energy, more energy than Yuta knew what to do with when he himself was functioning only on the coffee he forced into his body. Getting Hara to wash her face was a task and a half but everything else ran smoothly. Taeil arrived to pick her up just as she finished breakfast.

“Kun’s going to pick her up from school and bring her back here,” Taeil said, taking Hara’s hand. “Don’t forget to wake up.”

“I won’t sleep _that_ long, Taeil hyung,” Yuta said but his resolve weakened when he fell into a slumber as soon as he hit the bed. But he kept true to his word and woke up before Hara was expected back and cleaned up, stepping out of the shower just as the front door opened and he heard Hara’s high pitched voice along with Kun’s softer one. He opened the door, going to put on one of Jaehyun’s shirt when he heard someone choking and paused with the shirt in his hand, looking up.

Doyoung stood not far from him, between the door to the washroom and Jaehyun’s door.

“Um, hi,” Doyoung said, face flaming. “Shirt. On. Put.”

“Why, am I flustering you?” Yuta teased, watching Doyoung pointedly not look at him for a moment before putting his shirt on. “What’re you doing here?”

“I was looking at an apartment and ran into Kun and I made the mistake of telling him I hadn’t had lunch so here I am,” Doyoung rambled off, still refusing to meet Yuta’s eye. “I found him, he was awake.”

“Where is this slander that I don’t wake up coming from?” Yuta complained. “I’m a morning person! I go on morning runs!”

“Oh, god, really?” Doyoung finally looked at Yuta but with disgust.

“How do you think I got the body you were losing sweat over?” Yuta asked, barely avoiding a swat, laughing and dancing away.

“Behave,” Kun said in a voice that Yuta heard much too often from someone younger than him. “Right now, Hara is more well behaved than you two.”

Hara preened from her perch on her chair, grinning smugly at Doyoung and Yuta when they sat beside her.

“Yuta,” Hara said and Yuta turned to give her his attention. “Doyoung doesn’t have yellow hair.”

Yuta could understand why she’d made the remark, considering Yuta’s own blonde hair and Kun’s sandy locks. Between all the people she interacted with, a startling amount of them didn’t have natural dark hair.

“He told me he grew it himself!” Hara added and Yuta laughed.

“You’re telling me you’ve never dyed your hair?” Yuta asked and Doyoung shook his head. “Not even to a lighter brown?”

“I look good with dark hair,” Doyoung said with a shrug. He wasn’t wrong, the almost ebony hair prettily contrasting against his paler skin.

“You do,” Yuta said appreciatively, smirking when he saw a faint pinkness overtake Doyoung’s face.

“Enough flirting on the table,” Kun said, setting down food in front of them. “Hara, tell Yuta-hyung about your day.”

Kun had cooked for them and Yuta ate gratefully. It wasn’t as though he was deprived of hand cooked food with Taeyong working with them but there was a distinct difference between Kun and Taeyong’s food. Taeyong somehow made bar food seem like top cuisine and he often experimented with flavours while Kun’s food was very _home-y_ , often warm and spicy and heavy. It was something Yuta was lucky to eat because most of the time, Ten and Johnny would finish it before it even left their apartment and if they didn’t, it would surely be ravaged by Yukhei, Chenle or Yangyang, who treated Kun’s apartment as their second home.

“Kun, would you consider marrying me?” Yuta said after he’d eaten his fill. Hara was still munching on her food, albeit tiredly.

“No,” Kun said immediately. “Absolutely not.”

“Why not?” Yuta asked, scandalized. “I’m a catch!”

“I have a handful with Johnny and Ten, thank you very much,” Kun said primly. “Besides, you’re only asking me for the food.”

“No, I’m not,” Yuta insisted. “I’m in love with you.”

Kun rolled his eyes but didn’t dignify Yuta was a response. Yuta pouted at Doyoung, who mindlessly reached out and pet his hand in comfort.

“I think we’d _all_ like to marry Kun,” Doyoung said gravely.

Kun looked between them exasperatedly before shaking his head.

“Doyoung, don’t you have a viewing in like half an hour?” Kun asked instead and Doyoung startled, looking at his phone for the time.

“Yeah,” Doyoung sighed. “I should get going.”

“Take Yuta with you,” Kun said. “I’ll put Hara to bed for a nap before Jaehyun gets back.”

“Nap!” Hara exclaimed, sitting up straight from where she was wilting on her chair. Kun grinned at her, giving in to her grabby hands and picking her up in his arms. Yuta quickly opened his phone camera and took a sequence of shots.

“Are that many really necessary?” Kun asked.

“Yes, Johnny and Ten are going to pour over every detail during their lunch break,” Yuta said knowingly.

“Is _that_ what they do?” Doyoung asked. “I thought they were going through work papers or something.”

“Whipped culture,” Yuta informed Doyoung. “Now, I’m going to hold these pictures over Ten for the next week.”

“I’ll just send him a selfie,” Kun said. “Stop bribing my boyfriend.”

“A candid picture is much better than a selfie,” Yuta said. “Weren’t you supposed to put Hara to sleep?”

“To sleep!” Hara repeated, pointing at her bedroom. Kun bounced her in his arms before complying, disappearing into the room. Yuta turned to Doyoung.

“Let’s go?” He asked.

“Are you sure you wanna come? It’s like a twenty-minute walk,” Doyoung asked, not saying no to Yuta accompanying him.

“Yeah, I need to walk anyway after that meal,” Yuta said. They didn’t dare disturb Kun’s attempts at putting a child to sleep so Yuta grabbed his things and they crept out silently.

“You didn’t text me when you got home,” Yuta complained once they were out on the streets.

“Yes, I did,” Doyoung replied. “You didn’t reply to me.”

Yuta opened his KakaoTalk and showed it to Doyoung.

“No, you didn’t,” He said and Doyoung huffed and stabbed at his phone before making it face Yuta again. “You used _iMessage_? Who uses iMessage when KakaoTalk exists?”

“People with iPhones,” Doyoung said haughtily.

“Bourgeois scum,” Yuta replied vehemently, laughing when Doyoung lightly body checked him. “Where is this place anyway? How many places have you seen so far?”

“So many,” Doyoung replied, sound tired. “I just want a place to sleep in.”

“That’s bleak,” Yuta said. “You’re looking for a home, not a hotel.”

Doyoung didn’t reply and when Yuta looked over, his face was purposefully blank.

“I’m not really looking for another home,” Doyoung said, his voice tethering on emotionless if it wasn’t for the exhaustion. “Just a place to rest.”

Yuta noted at the word ‘ _another_ ’ but let it slide, not liking the sheer melancholy that seemed to suddenly surround Doyoung whenever he wasn’t actively doing anything else. Instead, he changed the subject and badgered Doyoung about what places he’d looked at, whether he was looking for a roommate, what his budget was. All things Doyoung had already regaled to him over the bar counter at work but Doyoung seemed grateful for the change in topic and went off about housing prices again.

The apartments that Yuta saw with Doyoung that day didn’t seem to make the cut, the day ending with Yuta buying Doyoung dessert just to get him to stop frowning and pouting. His next few tries were also unsuccessful, evident in the way he gloomily arrived back to work with Nayoung over the following week.

“How have you not found him a place yet?” Yuta asked Nayoung one afternoon while Doyoung was out looking at yet another place. “Isn’t your boyfriend a real estate agent?”

“Yeah, he is,” Nayoung said. “I never said he was a good one.”

“You’re too awesome to be with a loser, Nayoung,” Ten joined in and Nayoung swatted him with a wad of tissues. “I’m serious!”

“He’s a nice guy!” Nayoung insisted. “Anyway, Doyoung is still at the place so fingers crossed he likes this one. He’s so picky for someone who just wants a roof over his head.”

It was true. Despite Doyoung’s earlier statement, he did have specific technical requirements that would drive any realtor insane and he was _thorough_ in his check of the place.

“Oh, my God,” Nayoung said suddenly, looking at her phone. “What does that mean?”

 

_Doyoung_

:)

 

“Who even knows with Doyoung,” Ten said, shaking his head. “The guy’s an enigma. Or he’s trying to be.”

“He is pretty secretive,” Nayoung admitted.

“Wonder what level I have get to to unlock his tragic backstory,” Ten mused before narrowing his eyes at Yuta. “What level are you on?”

“I don’t believe in marking my friendships in levels,” Yuta said, just as he saw a notification on his phone.

 

_Doyoungie_

:DDDDD

 

“Definitely a level up than you, though,” He added, smirking at Ten.

“Not fair,” Ten pouted. “That’s because he’s into you.”

“No comment,” Yuta said, opening the message and typing back.

 

_You_

is it The One?

 

_Doyoungie_

yeah

 

_You_

and ur not just worn down and giving in?

 

_Doyoungie_

nope, i love it

can u help me move my stuff from taeil hyungs?

its not much, just need an extra pair of hands and wanna move asap

u finish ur shift soon right?

if u want to ofc

u dont have to

obviously

 

Yuta rolled his eyes and called Doyoung instead, walking away from Ten’s eavesdropping ears.

“Hey,” Doyoung sounded happy and Yuta smiled instinctively as a reaction. “Aren’t you at work?”

“I can’t use my phone at work?” Yuta asked. “Do you wanna meet at Taeil hyung’s house once I finish?”

“Yeah, sure,” Doyoung said, his voice lightly echoing. “I’ve signed the lease.”

“Already?” Yuta asked incredulously.

“Kind of?” Doyoung replied. “I still have other paperwork to go over but like I’ve booked it or whatever. The landlady said I’m free to dump my shit in here.”

“A wonderful way to say you’re moving in,” Yuta laughed. “Alright, see you soon, I actually am at work.”

“See you,” Doyoung said. Neither hung up.

“Love you?” Yuta offered cheekily.

“Shut up,” Doyoung said and hung up to Yuta’s laughter.

It was a small thing even by studio flat standards but Doyoung seemed delighted, cracking his big gummy smiles when he let Yuta help him bring his small collection of belongings from Taeil’s home to his own. The tour took 5 seconds, Doyoung pointing at the bathroom and storeroom.

“You need to buy furniture,” Yuta commented as he dropped the rather heavy box in his arms on the floor as gently as he could. The space was empty, completely sparse, not even a mattress in sight.

“I know,” Doyoung sighed. “It seems like so much work. Can’t I sleep on the floor like the old days?”

“Sure, if you want but then you have to get a floor mat,” Yuta said. “I say grab Johnny and Jaehyun and let them loose in an Ikea and then get them to make the furniture with the allure of food.”

“I-,” Doyoung seemed anxious. “I don’t know them well enough to be able to do that? I haven’t even physically _met_ Jaehyun.”

“You’ve been working for us for a month,” Yuta pointed out. “And Jaehyun’s busy but he’ll make time.”

“And? You and Taeil are the only people I would be comfortable asking anything like this of,” Doyoung said. Yuta tried not to feel flustered at the idea that he was one of two people Doyoung felt comfortable with and the other was his old friend. “Didn’t you say Jaehyun’s busy all the time?”

“Glad I made it to Taeil’s level in a month,” Yuta teased. “I’m sure he’d be stoked about that.”

“Well,” Doyoung flushed. “I just mean- obviously, we’re not _as_ close-“

“Uh-uh!” Yuta sang. “No take backsies!”

“I won’t if you help me make the furniture,” Doyoung said.

“I told you we don’t need to,” Yuta insisted, whipping out his phone. “I’ll ask Johnny and Jaehyun right now. This is their idea of a fun time. Oh, and Yukhei! Any of the other Dreamies? No, you don’t want chaos.”

“I’m not sure I trust you,” Doyoung said wearily.

“You will,” Yuta assured him, finishing the text and sending it with a flourish. “In the meantime, do you want to come over and have some dinner? And also sleep on something that’s no the cold hard floor?”

“It’s okay, I can mana-” Doyoung started automatically before looking around his sparse apartment.

“You don’t even have plates,” Yuta pointed out patiently. Doyoung stared at the kitchen cabinets, as though he could make plates physically manifest through sheer will power. “Or a garbage bag. Or a bed.”

“I can see that,” Doyoung said slowly. “I suppose I’ll go back to Taeil’s for the night.”

“Or,” Yuta offered in his best sales pitch voice. “You could come over to my place, which is closer, have dinner and sleepover? Because I’m pretty sure Taeil’s going to spend the night shift at the bar.”

“Are you sure?” Doyoung asked after a moment of looking too conflicted over a simple couch crash. Yuta nodded firmly and Doyoung shrugged. “I’ll grab some stuff.”

Jaehyun replied once Yuta was already in bed, Doyoung having laid claim to the couch and refused to move from it.

 

_jahyunnie_

i can do tomorrow but i’ll be a lil busy on sunday :(

 

_You_

tomorrow’s good!

 

_xuxi_

:D

 

_johnny_

i’ll ask jaemin if he wants my shift

he does

 

_xuxi_

he wants $$$$$

 

_jaehyunnie_

relatable

 

“We’re going to Ikea tomorrow,” Yuta called out from his room.

“Okay,” He heard Doyoung call back.

“Goodnight, honey,” Yuta called out with a laugh.

“Go to sleep,” Doyoung called back with a huff.

He was grateful he’d listened to Doyoung because Jaehyun woke up them up at an ungodly hour, even for Yuta. He was pretty sure even the sun was sleepy.

“Beat the crowd,” Was all that Jaehyun said when he walked into Yuta’s home and startled Doyoung awake. It was astounding how much he looked like a Dad™ with his flannel shirt and his dad cap. Hara was with him, sporting a similar look and seeming just as determined.

“Great, maybe knock next time I have someone over,” Yuta said sleepily, nodding at a wide-eyed Doyoung on the couch. Jaehyun waved at him politely before turning to Yuta.

“You make your hookups sleep on the couch now?” Jaehyun scolded. “That’s cold.”

“His _what_?” Doyoung said, scandalized.

“One, I am a cuddler, you know this,” Yuta said loudly, dimming out Doyoung’s indignant protests. “Two, this is Doyoung. You’ve heard about him, I’m sure. We are not sleeping together.”

“Oh, right,” Jaehyun said bashfully, ears going red. “Sorry.”

“It’s okay,” Doyoung said, getting up. “You’re doing this for me, I can hardly hold anything against you.”

Jaehyun turned even redder at Doyoung’s sincere words. He told them Johnny and Yukhei would be joining them at the IKEA as they got dressed and nagged Doyoung about his budget and what he was looking for and whether or not he had a checklist.

“He has a checklist,” Jaehyun gasped when Doyoung pulled out the printed paper. “This is going to be so much fun.”

They ended up spending most of the day at IKEA, Yuta losing Doyoung and Jaehyun for an entire hour once only to find them discussing the merits of a bed with storage. Johnny and Yukhei took charge of miscellaneous things that didn’t need much decision making since Doyoung had written down the exact model of cutlery he wanted and which type of lamp. Yuta let Hara drag him around to entertain herself, showing him different furniture and naming them while Yuta listened attentively.

Moreso, he saw Doyoung open up more, growing comfortable with Jaehyun after Jaehyun trash talked his choice of wardrobe mildly. Yuta beamed when Hara went to Doyoung and he automatically picked her up while scrutinizing a shelf. She watched his expression for a moment before trying to mimic it, trying to see what Doyoung was seeing in the white wood.

By the time they left, the sun was hanging low in the sky and they’d eaten twice at the IKEA cafeteria and Hara was growing whiny and petulant due to exhaustion.

“You can take her to Kun and Ten,” Johnny said. “They’re home and I don’t think they’re going anywhere. I’ll set up whatever we have and then we can do the rest when they get delivered.”

“Alright,” Jaehyun said. “Sorry I couldn’t stick around to help with the building.”

“If I actually sincerely thanked you, I’d start crying, you helped me so much,” Doyoung said earnestly. “Please go rest. Thank you for taking time out of your off day to help me.”

“Even after I told you your choice was horrid?” Jaehyun asked with a laugh, pulling a face when Hara grumbled. “Okay, okay, I’ll see you around.”

Despite both being somewhat clumsy in normal life settings, Johnny and Yukhei got the drawers and shelves set up surprisingly efficiently while Doyoung and Yuta put away cutlery and decor and other objects. By the end of the day, Doyoung certainly had some furniture and a lot of mess to clean up.

“And still no mattress,” Doyoung said after Johnny and Yukhei had left. Yuta had taken to lying on the part of the floor that had a rug.

“It’ll come tomorrow, don’t worry,” Yuta said, waving off Doyoung’s concern. “We will tackle all that _tomorrow_.”

“Yeah, but-” Doyoung started but Yuta cut him off.

“Stop, you’re distressing me from there. Come sit here,” Yuta said, patting at a cushion. Doyoung obliged with only a disgruntled look. “We’ve done enough for today. There is nothing else we can physically do.”

“I know,” Doyoung sighed, body unwinding. “I’m sorry. You did a lot today.”

“We all did,” Yuta said softly.

“It’s nice,” Doyoung said quietly, hugging his knees. “I’ve never really had people just- I don’t know, spend their precious day off helping me by building furniture.”

“Well,” Yuta said, choosing not to poke at Doyoung’s past just then. “You have us now. Hara likes you, so you’re not allowed to leave.”

“I don’t think I will,” Doyoung said, his voice honest as his eyes found Yuta. They took Yuta’s breath away, exactly as bright and expressive as Yuta had thought they should be the first night he walked Doyoung home and Yuta swallowed, wanting to look away but being unable to. He watched, captivated as Doyoung bit his lip. “I- I actually like it here.”

“You sound surprised,” Yuta commented quietly. Doyoung nodded, placing his chin on his knees.

“When I came here, I was just expecting to get away,” Doyoung said, voice low but clear. He was voluntarily offering information, not having it coaxed out of him. “I didn’t expect to actually enjoy my time here. It’s a little scary.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah,” Doyoung sighed, closing his eyes. Yuta had the urge to brush the hair out of his eyes but he stilled his hands, not wanting to disturb Doyoung. “Makes this real and permanent.”

“Do you want to go back to your old life?” Yuta asked.

“No,” Doyoung said clearly, opening his eyes. Instead of wistful sadness, there was determination and clarity.

The questions were at the tip of Yuta’s tongue. What was the life Doyoung had so readily left behind? Who were the people that he never spoke of? What was his job, his old place like? The questions went unspoken as Yuta stretched, barely even flinching when Doyoung moved forward to pull his shirt back down.

“Prude,” He said with a smile and Doyoung rolled his eyes but smiled back with a faint blush and it felt like a victory.

It took another 3 days and 19 men to get everything in Doyoung’s house settled perfectly. Thankfully, the 19 were never in Doyoung’s tiny apartment together, since Yuta doubted they’d even fit but in batches of 3 or 4, they all marched over to Doyoung’s house to do _something_ or the other, even if it was just talking about the interior design like Yangyang, who was still desperate to know Doyoung’s past and kept at his efforts to endear himself to the server.

Yuta knew his attempts were in vain, though, because Doyoung had a handful of clear favourites. Jeno and Xiaojun were at the top of the list, from what Yuta could determine, followed by Jaemin and Yukhei and then it was anyone’s game, constantly changing and depending on his mood.

“This is so unfair,” Donghyuck complained to Yuta. It was a weekend and the bar was crowded with university students, including their own. Donghyuck was mildly drunk, though nowhere near as smashed as he wanted to be. “Why is _Jeno_ his favourite?”

Yuta, who was mixing a drink, was only half listening and hummed indulgently.

“I wanna be someone’s favourite!” Donghyuck demanded. “Yuta hyung, am I your favourite?”

“Sure,” Yuta said easily.

“Liar,” Donghyuck whined. “I know you like Jaemin more.”

“That’s ‘cause you’re Johnny’s kid,” Yuta said, sliding the tray to a waiting Ten, who was looking at Donghyuck with a deadpan expression.

“He has _two_ boyfriends now!” Donghyuck complained. “We don’t get _quality time_ together anymore.”

“You literally had lunch alone two days ago,” Yuta reminded him.

“Bartender, shhhhhh,” Donghyuck said, lying on the bar. “I wanna complain.”

“Sure,” Yuta laughed before waving his arm and calling Yukhei over. Yukhei wasn’t working that night but he was on Donghyuck duty pretty much 24/7 considering how much he pined over the younger. Yukhei came and whisked the grumbling Donghyuck away, keeping a large hand on him to make sure he didn’t topple over.

In the brief moments he didn’t have drinks to make or customers to attend to, Yuta’s eyes searched for Doyoung. He told himself he was just looking out for the new server but after more than a moment working with them, Doyoung was hardly new and he was a quick learner. But if Yuta didn’t use the excuse, he’d have to confront why he always gravitated towards Doyoung and he’d have to acknowledge the fluttering of feelings in his stomach.

He chose to ignore it, reasoning that it was hardly the time and Doyoung was still adjusting to his new life. He told himself he still hardly knew Doyoung as he watched him talk to Ten, grinning at something Ten was tiptoeing to whisper into his ear. He knew he was lying to himself when Doyoung looked up, as though feeling his eyes on him and met his gaze, raising an eyebrow in question. Yuta shook his head and tried to busy himself by making conversation with one of the lonely people at the bar.

He might not know Doyoung’s past or what he did in the last 26 years of his life but he did know that Doyoung was kind and hardworking, caring and giving to a fault at times. He was a nurturer, despite trying to be closed off, Doyoung took pride in taking care of others. He was snarky and witty and smart. Doyoung was the one who took Ten’s shifts when Ten was getting frustrated, he proofread Kun’s works. Doyoung had a group chat with Taeyong and Kun where he sent recipe videos. Doyoung never turned down the opportunity to hang out with Hara, even when it was inconvenient, even when he had to use his lunch break to pick her up from school. The Dreamies knew that if they showed up in front of him with puppy eyes and a question, he would try his best to help them, even if it wasn’t in a field he was educated in.

“Hey,” A voice shook him out of his thoughts and he focused on the college student in front of him, blinking before he realized it was Mark. “You okay, Yuta hyung?”

“God, there’s so many of you,” Yuta said thoughtlessly. Mark didn’t look offended though, simply nodding somberly.

“I know, right,” Mark said, downing a shot Yuta didn’t remember placing in front of him.

“I don’t think Doyoung’s ever seen you in his life,” Yuta commented, unable to detach his mind completely from the other man.

“No, he has,” Mark said. “He’s met everyone.”

“On God?” Yuta asked, mentally going through the list of all of them by age.

“Yup,” Mark said, downing the shot of the person beside him before hopping off the bar and walking away. Yuta bowed apologetically to the person whose drink Mark had stolen and topped off their glass on the house. He didn’t get much time to muse over Doyoung until after all their patrons had left and Ten and Jaemin were trying to pawn off taking out the trash to each other.

“Hey, Yuta hyung,” A soft voice said from behind them and Yuta jumped.

“Jungwoo,” Yuta said, clutching his chest. “What?”

“Sorry,” Jungwoo said. “But to be fair, you were so deep in thought, you would have been startled no matter how I approached.”

“That’s fair,” Yuta said, trying to calm his heart.

“What’s on your mind?” Jungwoo asked. “You seem tired. You haven’t taken vacation days in so long. Do you need a break?”

“Jungwoo,” Yuta said firmly. “Do you ever turn off your managerial mode?”

“Yes, doing it now!” Jungwoo said before making the sound that Bluetooth earphones make before they switch off. “Anyway, I wanted to talk to you about something not related to work. Well, kind of related to work.”

“What is it?” Yuta asked. Jungwoo looked around and leaned in closer.

“Do you think we should throw Doyoung hyung a housewarming party?” Jungwoo asked in a rush, keeping an eye on the staff room door.

“Shouldn’t Doyoung decide whether he wants to host a housewarming party?” Yuta asked.

“Not at his place, it’s too small,” Jungwoo said. “Here.”

“Then it’s not really a housewarming party, is it?” Yuta pointed out. He thought it was a little unfair when Jungwoo looked at him like he thought he was purposely being obtuse when Yuta was making perfect sense.

“Okay, then a welcome party!” Jungwoo said. “I just think we should, I don’t know, celebrate him getting his apartment and like, he’s a pretty permanent fixture now.”

“Do you just want an excuse for a staff party?” Yuta said and Jungwoo’s eyes brightened.

“That’s a great excuse!” Jungwoo raved. “Thanks, Yuta hyung!”

“You’re welcome,” Yuta told the empty space in front of him.

Doyoung was waiting for him at the door outside when Yuta finally left.

“Hey,” Yuta said, frowning slightly. “Haven’t you left yet?”

“I am outside my establishment of work so yes, I have ‘left’,” Doyoung said as he leaned against the wall.

“Why aren’t you going _home_?” Yuta specified with a roll of his eyes.

“I thought we could walk together,” Doyoung said, shrugging with calculated nonchalance. Yuta looked at him, tilting his head curiously.

“We don’t live close by anymore. I’m pretty sure your place is the opposite direction,” Yuta said slowly. Doyoung seemed to hunch deeper into himself, stuffing his hands into his jacket pockets.

“I found a way,” Doyoung said hesitantly, unfurling himself. “I’ll have to leave you sooner but- there is a way. If you want.”

Yuta looked at the man in front of him, the way his dark hair fell on eyes that refused to look at Yuta, instead looking up at the moon that was shrouded in clouds that night. Yuta’s eyes followed the way the moonlight escaped through the clouds momentarily, lighting up the curve of Doyoung’s neck, striking against his face.

When Doyoung finally lowered his gaze and met Yuta’s eyes, Yuta smiled softly.

“Lead the way,” He said, gesturing in front of him. Doyoung smiled back and pushed himself off the wall, joining in step with Yuta as they started walking.

“How’re you liking your new place?” Yuta asked.

“It’s weird living alone,” Doyoung admitted. “But I like it.”

“Haven’t you lived alone before?” Yuta asked. The silence that was offered back to him made Yuta want to look at the man walking beside him but he refrained. “I mean, did you live with your parents until now? There’s no shame in that.”

“No, I-” Doyoung interrupted before going silent, seemingly struggling with words. “No, I moved out of my parents' house when I was like 20.”

“Okay,” Yuta accepted. He didn’t push, didn’t poke at the glaring question hanging between them. He itched to, wanted to unravel everything about Doyoung but he held himself back because they were walking under moonlight and Doyoung looked particularly delicate.

“I’ll tell you,” Doyoung said suddenly, breaking the silence that had fallen. “Someday. Not now but- someday.”

“Someday,” Yuta grinned. “I like the sound of that.”

“The word?” Doyoung asked, confused.

“No,” Yuta said. “The fact that we have a _someday_.”

A beat of silence.

“Oh, my God, you are so corny,” Doyoung said in disbelief. “Who allowed you to be like this? Who says stuff like that?”

Yuta doubled over in laughter at the expression on Doyoung’s face. Doyoung was shaking his head in disbelief.

“You are ridiculous,” Doyoung muttered. “I have to leave from here.”

Doyoung pointed to his right and Yuta nodded. He had a vague idea of the route Doyoung would take and it was a longer one. Yuta would simply have to cross the street and walk five more minutes to reach his own place. The significance of the gesture didn’t pass by Yuta but he worked to keep the air lighthearted and not heavy with implications.

“See you around,” Yuta said, walking backwards away from Doyoung. “Thanks for walking with me.”

“Be careful,” Doyoung said, almost instinctively walking forward, in tandem with Yuta. “You’ll trip.”

“You always say that, and yet-” Yuta froze as he felt an arm wrap around his waist and he stumbled as he was pulled closer just as his foot slipped on the curb and he felt a gust of air hit his back. The sound of a car screeching by, startlingly close, was dimmed by the feeling of Yuta’s heart beating in his ear and the way his body burned where it was pressed against Doyoung. He saw Doyoung swallow, his eyes fixated on the movement of his Adam’s apple as he attempted to calm his pounding heart.

“I _told_ you you’d trip,” Doyoung said in a low voice, something desperate and scared tainting it. “Who crosses the street walking backwards?”

“I nearly died, can you not nag me right now?” Yuta bit back, not moving away from Doyoung’s arms, instead placing his forehead on Doyoung’s shoulder.

“I saved your life, I’m allowed to nag you all I want,” Doyoung grumbled, his breath hitting the tip of Yuta’s ear and lighting ruffling his hair. “You’re fine, you can get off me now, you didn’t even get a scratch.”

Yuta wrapped his arms around Doyoung, giving him a firm hug before pulling away and stepping back, almost tripping on the same curb if it wasn’t for Doyoung’s hand on his arm.

“What was it you told me when we first met?” Doyoung said drily. “You have excellent balance?”

“I do!” Yuta insisted, carefully stepping down from the curb and onto the street, showing his accomplishment to Doyoung proudly. Doyoung clapped for him with a straight face. “Go home.”

“I’m less inclined to leave you to your devices now,” Doyoung said, stepping onto the street beside Yuta and placing a hand on his lower back.

“Just because I have _one_ near death experience-,” Yuta started but he was cut off my Doyoung’s huffing.

“Do you ever shut up?” Doyoung asked.

“I don’t know, make me,” Yuta replied almost instinctively, winking. It was then he realized how feasible his flirtatious challenge was as he noted how close Doyoung was, the way Doyoung’s hand still lingered on Yuta’s waist but it was mainly the way Doyoung looked down at him with dark eyes and a lip between his teeth.

It would have been simple, the natural course of action, for Yuta to lean up and capture the bitten lips between his own and unconsciously, a part of him leaned in to do just that. But he stopped, waiting for Doyoung to acknowledge it or ignore it. Doyoung was frozen, eyes clouded with conflict and when he stepped back, breathing heavily, Yuta was surprised but disappointed, a hint of hurt lingering despite understanding.

“Let me walk you home,” Doyoung said instead, looking away.

“No,” Yuta said firmly, shaking his head. “You already have to walk longer than I do. Go home, Doyoung.”

“Okay,” Doyoung seceded. “Text me when you get home.”

Yuta nodded and bid his farewell, looking both ways before jogging across the street. When he looked back, he saw Doyoung already walking away from him slowly. He looked like a lonely figure in the darkness but he walked with purpose, as though he had somewhere to be.

It was something Yuta started noticing a lot, the way Doyoung seemed to become comfortable in his own skin in this new life he’d made for himself. He was more playful with Ten, dodging flying washcloths with practised efficiency, knowing the way to get back at Ten would be pout at Kun. He fit in well between them and seemed to know it as well when he started badgering Taeil at a staff meeting about putting in place an automated system.

“He’s too old for his, hyung, you need to spell it out,” Donghyuck said from his place attached to Johnny’s side.

“What is he even doing here?” Yuta asked, crossing his leg over another. They were in the staff room for their quarterly meeting and it was their first with Doyoung present. As far as Yuta knew, Donghyuck wasn’t an employee.

“Family privileges,” Donghyuck shot back and Yuta pulled a face at him.

“Johnny, man, I’m telling you you’re too young to have kids,” Yuta started, watching Donghyuck grow indignant gleefully.

“I’m not old, I just purposely don’t give a fuck about math,” Taeil said loudly, drowning out whatever Donghyuck or Yuta would have continued with.

“It’s not math, it’s IT,” Doyoung said. “We could have tables order their drinks from a tablet on the table and cut down waiting time!”

“You’re going to trust drunk college kids with iPads?” Nayoung said with a raised eyebrow.

“Not iPads,” Doyoung corrected. “There are cheaper, sturdier touch screens for industrialization that you can use. All you have to do is create a simple UI for it, it’s literally just a virtual menu.”

“Won’t that, like, cost a lot though?” Jaemin asked. “Like _so much_.”

“You’re college kids, you think $200 is simultaneously so much and not enough money,” Taeyong said, rolling his eyes. “I think it’s a good investment, the orders will come to the kitchen quicker, especially on busy nights.”

“Do we have the budget for it, though?” Ten asked. He was sitting cross-legged on the floor between Johnny’s legs despite a perfectly good chair being right there.

“Doyoung hyung gave me this proposal,” Jungwoo said, holding up a folder and everyone ooh’d and aah’d appropriately. “I think the estimated price is within budget.”

“You actually wrote up and printed a proposal?” Yuta leaned in to whisper at Doyoung. “You fucking nerd.”

Doyoung simply swatted his thigh in response, not even looking at him but Yuta could see the edges of his lips lifting up in a repressed smile.

“How much is it, though?” Ten asked and Jungwoo rattled out the number.

“That doesn’t seem right,” Yukhei frowned. “Can I see it?”

Jungwoo handed the papers to Yukhei, who read over the budgeting page quickly.

“Hyung, what about the fees for the UI?” Yukhei asked, looking at Doyoung imploringly.

“Actually,” Doyoung said, clearing his throat. His attention turned to his hands which were playing with a singular stray thread on his pant’s seam near the knee. “I can do that.”

“Do what?” Nayoung asked.

“The UI thingy,” Doyoung said, waving a dismissive hand. “I know how to do it.”

“What he means to say,” Taeil said with a sigh. “Is that he studied software development in university and worked with UI’s before he came to work here and since it’s his little project, he’ll take care of ‘the UI thingy’.”

“Why are you a server if you’re qualified in software development, what the fuck?” Ten asked incredulously. “You could be making real money and feeding me every day!”

“Why on earth would I feed you if I made more money?” Doyoung shot back in disbelief.

“Because I’m the maknae of the 96 line! You have to baby me, it’s the law!” Ten insisted.

“As the _actual_ maknae,” Donghyuck started, ignoring Jaemin’s ‘ _I’m younger than you_ ,’ resolutely.

“Jisung is younger than both you,” Johnny said, placing a hand on Ten’s head and another on Donghyucks. “Let Doyoung finish his proposal.”

“Yeah, no, that’s it,” Doyoung said. “That was my proposal.”

“Great, you guys have a couple of days to think about and then let Jungwoo know,” Taeil said. “Moving on.”

The rest of the meeting ran smoothly, Yukhei and Jaemin dipping as soon as it had ended since they weren’t on shift and Nayoung leaving soon after since it was her day off. It left Johnny, Yuta, Doyoung, Ten and Jungwoo to open up since Taeil had followed Taeyong into the kitchen. It wasn’t until past lunchtime that Doyoung slid in beside Yuta on the business side the counter. Yuta raised an eyebrow questioningly.

“Do you think Jungwoo hates me?” Doyoung asked in a hushed whisper, looking around to make sure Jungwoo wasn’t nearby. He wasn’t, busy with some customers cheque out of earshot.

“Does Jungwoo, our manager, hate you?” Yuta clarified.

“Yes?”

“Does Jungwoo, the guy who followed you around for the whole first week to make sure you were okay, who drapes himself on you constantly? That guy? Does he hate you?” Yuta asked again and Doyoung elbowed him.

“I’m serious!” Doyoung insisted.

“Why on earth would Jungwoo hate you, Doyoung? You broke 3 glasses on the first week and he didn’t even mention docking your pay,” Yuta said, rolling his eyes, rubbing his sides.

“He’s been very distant lately,” Doyoung pouted. “And short. He doesn’t talk to me anymore.”

“Maybe he’s busy?” Yuta offered.

“Maybe he’s hiding something,” Ten said and both Doyoung and Yuta whipped back. “You really shouldn’t whisper secrets with your back to the public.”

“What could he be hiding?” Doyoung mused and Ten hummed thoughtfully.

“Bodies?” Ten offered.

“I think he’d be pretty good at disposing of them,” Doyoung said shaking his head. Yuta left them to their speculations, knowing it probably had something to do with the party Jungwoo had wanted to throw.

He was proven right four days later when he got an email invite from Google Calender from Jungwoo’s email.

 

_You_

an email invite? Fr?

 

_woo_

doyoung will appreciate it therefore be more likely to show up

 

_You_

ur literally throwing a party for him ofc hes gonna show up

 

_woo_

sometimes idek if he’s gonna show up to work the next day

 

Previously, Yuta would have understood Jungwoo’s sentiments. Now, it seemed unlikely. Doyoung no longer had that flighty look about him and Yuta had no doubt he’d show up at the party Jungwoo had planned. The venue was Sicheng’s place since it was the biggest and it took another week to find a date when everyone was free.

When the day finally arrived, Jungwoo was gripping the guest list in tense anxiety at Sicheng’s door.

“Calm down, woo-ah,” Yuta said, rubbing the younger’s back as he accompanied him. So far, Taeil and everyone else who worked with them had shown up. Kun had come with Johnny and the Dreamies all seemed to tumble in one after another 3 minutes before their expected arrival time with proud grins. It only left Doyoung himself, who said he’d come with Jaehyun and Hara, the person Jungwoo was anxiously awaiting.

“It’s _his_ party,” Jungwoo whined, pouting. Yuta patted him comfortingly while taking out his phone.

 

_You_

where r u

 

_doyoungie_

on our way!! was helping jaehyun get ready lol

did u kno he has a lil crush on sicheng

 

_You_

yes everyone knows

 

_doyoungie_

my boy lookin goooood tonight! :D

sicheng wont kno what hit him

 

_You_

sicheng didnt know what hit him the first time jaehyun laughed with him and showed him how to level up on some video game

 

_doyoungie_

and yet

they r both single

 

_You_

for now?

 

_doyoungie_

for now :3

holy shit sicheng Bougie

 

_You_

i take it u’ve arrived in the neighbourhood

 

Sure enough, Doyoung and Jaehyun appeared not long after, Hara trailing beside them, ready to jump into Yuta’s waiting arms. Jungwoo unwound at the sight of Doyoung and how Doyoung exclaimed at everything.

Inside, everyone seemed about as loud and disruptive as Yuta had expected them to be. Twenty-one people were _a lot_ but Sicheng had enough space. Even if he hadn’t, so many had taken to sitting on top of each other that Yuta honestly thought they could have fit at Doyoung’s place if they Tetris’d enough. It was there Yuta noticed how Doyoung did seem to _know_ everyone there, how he was at ease even with people Yuta was sure he’d only ever interacted with a handful of times like Jisung or Mark or Hendery.

“He’s fitting in well, isn’t he?” Taeil asked Yuta fondly as Yuta pushed a cocktail at Taeil. He wasn’t working but he couldn’t help give in to Taeil’s begging eyes when he saw the atrocities the kids were creating. ‘This is why I didn’t hire any of you but Xuxi!’ Taeil had proclaimed when he found Renjun and Donghyuck mixing something that was inherently offensive to anyone who admired the art of mixing drinks.

Yuta looked over to Doyoung, who was in deep in conversation with Taeyong and Jungwoo, throwing his head back in laughter at something Jungwoo said.

“He is,” Yuta said with a smile. “It’s good. He deserves it.”

“Has he told you about his past?” Taeil asked curiously.

“Not really,” Yuta shrugged. “But I can tell.”

“He does deserve it,” Taeil said. “I really wasn’t expecting him to turn to me, you know? He always seemed like he had his life together. I’m really happy I could help him.”

“You did, Taeil hyung,” Yuta said firmly. “You gave him a home. I know you think you’re not very nurturing but you take care of the people you care about.”

“I try to,” Taeil said with a huff. “I don’t really have Taeyong or Kun or Johnny’s- hell, even Doyoung’s nature.”

“You don’t need to,” Yuta said, leaning in to give Taeil a side hug. “You do you, old man.”

“I’m a year older than you, brat, get off,” Taeil grumbled, prying a laughing Yuta off of him and wandering away with a drink in his hand. Yuta made sure he’d settled in between Sicheng and Jaehyun, undoubtedly complaining to Sicheng about Yuta’s comment about his age before he looked away, taking account of everyone in the room.

It was a habit he found himself doing often, picked up from Taeyong physically counting them when they were together. Yuta didn’t particularly do anything with the information but he liked knowing where everyone was and what they were doing. He saw Johnny and Ten looking at Kun with identical lovesick expressions as Kun talked to Nayoung, gesturing wildly to get his point across. Yukhei had a mostly sober Donghyuck curled up beside him. Yuta watched with a smile as Yukhei slowly turned red when Donghyuck leaned over Yukhei to get the tissues by the couch.

Yuta narrowed his eyes as he searched for the other Dreamies. He found Renjun and Jaemin arguing passionately over something in a corner close to Yuta. Yuta was sure he heard the words ‘alien’ and ‘ghost’ if he strained his ear enough but he chose to ignore them. Jeno was between them, seemingly oblivious to their rambling, watching something serenely on his phone.

He could see more legs out of his site so he moved away from his station. Situated strategically to be away from the main crowd but also directly in Jaehyun’s eyesight were the rest of Dreamies and Hara. She was currently on Mark’s shoulders but the way Xiaojun and Hendery lay boneless on the floor, he doubted Mark was her victim. Yangyang, Chenle and Jisung all egged her on, hooting and cheering. Yuta didn’t feel too bad for Mark since it was nearly Hara’s bedtime and Jaehyun would intervene soon enough.

Yuta was sitting with Sicheng, keeping him company and trying to make him blush while Jaehyun was putting Hara to bed when Doyoung found him.

“Oh, thank God,” Sicheng groaned. “Please take him.”

“Take him where?” Doyoung asked with a laugh.

“Out,” Sicheng complained, pushing Yuta to stand up. “Away from me.”

“They hated Jesus because he told them the truth,” Yuta said seriously, unmoved. “Doyoung agrees with me.”

“Unlikely,” Doyoung said.

“You _don’t_ think Jaehyun has a massive crush on Sicheng and that Sicheng should just go for it since he has a whole room in his house for Jaehyun’s daughter?” Yuta asked, raising an eyebrow.

“I did not know about the room thing but yes, okay, I agree with Yuta,” Doyoung nodded. Yuta smiled triumphantly, quickly grimacing when Sicheng kicked him in the shin.

“Get out of my house, both of you,” Sicheng insisted. “Taeil hyung, tell them to leave.”

Taeil, unfortunately, was dozing off on Sicheng’s shoulder and Sicheng sighed.

“Leave me alone,” Sicheng whined. Yuta relented, having accomplished his mission of turning Sicheng red. Doyoung leaned in, tugging at Yuta’s hand and pulling him up. Yuta easily followed. “Thank you, Doyoung.”

“I dressed Jaehyun today,” Doyoung grinned and Sicheng threw him a dark look. “Isn’t that shirt nice?”

“Seriously, get out,” Sicheng pouted, turning his head away from them. “Out of my sight.”

Yuta laughed, pulling Doyoung away by their intertwined hands before Sicheng threw a pillow at them.

“Are we seriously leaving?” Doyoung asked when they left the main room and headed towards the door.

“Nah,” Yuta said. “I wanna show you something.”

Instead of walking out the door, they climbed the stairs, passing by Jaehyun who was walking down. He made shushing gestures at them which Yuta indulgently nodded to but he knew to steer clear from Hara’s room.

The thing was, Sicheng’s house was big. It was one of his only splurges when he hit it big as a model, big enough to hold his family whenever they visit from China. It was also where the university students would hide out when their own dorms and apartments would get too stuff and where Yukhei had been staying since he graduated.

“Are you taking me to the attic to kill me?” Doyoung asked wearily as they passed the first floor.

“Would I tell you if I was?” Yuta shot back. “Shush, you’ll wake up Hara.”

They finally reached the door Yuta wanted and he put in the code and flung open the door, wincing when it creaked loudly.

“Sicheng really doesn’t use it often,” Yuta said. “He really doesn’t know how to appreciate nature.”

Doyoung stepped onto the roof wearily, sighing in relief at the clean and orderly set up, beanie bags and chairs and a table, along with unused barbeque equipment.

“Thought you’d dragged me to some musty old attic,” Doyoung said. “This is pretty.”

“I know,” Yuta smiled smugly. “I annoyed Sicheng for three whole days to get the password. Even Chenle doesn’t have it.”

“I’m sure if the Dreamies got it, they’d never leave Sicheng alone,” Doyoung said with a laugh. “He’s wise to guard it.”

Yuta hummed, settling on a chair contently, letting the mildly cool hair and quiet sink in. Doyoung joined him, dragging the chair that sat opposite Yuta to beside him before plopping down. Yuta grinned at the gesture.

“Is there a reason you dragged me away from everyone else?” Doyoung asked in amusement.

“Yes,” Yuta said, laughing mock maniacally. “I want you all to myself.”

“You already have me, dumbass,” Doyoung muttered, rolling his eyes, missing the way Yuta froze.

“Do I?” Yuta asked, tilting his head. Doyoung looked back, unguarded.

“Yeah,” Doyoung said after a moment, eyes travelling Yuta’s face. “Yeah, you do.”

“That’s an interesting development,” Yuta said mildly, trying to keep his erratic heart under control.

“Is it?” Doyoung asked, looking away and turning to look out into the city. “I thought I was pretty obvious.”

“You are,” Yuta said. “Spectacularly so. I didn’t know you were self-aware.”

“Of course, I am,” Doyoung said simply. He opened his mouth, as though to continue, before closing it again. Instead, he reached out his hand and placed them over Yuta’s, intertwining their fingers. Yuta hoped his shuddering breath wasn’t too obvious before realizing what the gesture _meant_.

“You didn’t kiss me,” Yuta said, closing his fingers around Doyoung’s. “You’ve ignored all my flirtations.”

“I wasn’t sure then,” Doyoung said. “I didn’t want to do something when I was so- emotionally vulnerable. I didn’t want you to be my rebound.”

“Now you’re sure?” Yuta asked instead of questioning the rebound. Doyoung turned to him and smiled, a pure tilt of lips that made Yuta’s palms sweaty.

“I’m sure,” Doyoung said. He looked sure, with the backdrop of the city behind him, far from the unsure man who’d shown up at the bar months prior. Even now, doing nothing more than sitting with his hand in Yuta’s, he seemed more grounded.

“What does that mean?” Yuta blurted out.

“It means,” Doyoung said softly, rubbing a thumb across Yuta’s hand. “I’ll tell you if you want to know.”

Yuta frowned, wondering what Doyoung meant before recalling his earlier words. It seemed that _someday_ had arrived.

“I _want_ to know,” Yuta said but raised a hand to shush Doyoung before he could start speaking. “But I don’t _need_ to know. I know who you are as a person. If you’d rather not speak about the past, I think I’m okay with that.”

“What if I killed someone?” Doyoung asked, in a voice that clearly indicated he’d never killed anyone in his life ever.

“I’d love you regardless,” Yuta lied. Murder might dampen the intensity of his feelings _just_ a little.

“Liar,” Doyoung said with a laugh. “You gave me a nasty look when I said trees don’t have feelings.”

“They’re _living, breathing_ creatures, Doyoung!” Yuta insisted before shaking his head. “Don’t distract me. Just tell me you didn’t kill anyone.”

“I didn’t kill anyone,” Doyoung assured him. “Maybe some house plants but they weren’t my choice to keep.”

“Whose choice were they?” Yuta asked.

“My wife’s,” Doyoung said easily, though his grip on Yuta’s hand tightened momentarily before relaxing.

“You’re _married_?” Yuta asked.

“Divorced,” Doyoung explained. “We married really young, we were high school sweethearts.”

“Cute,” Yuta said before pausing. “Not cute?”

“No, it’s cute,” Doyoung said. “I’m not bitter about it or anything. Anymore.”

“Now I wanna know why you divorced your life and left your life as a software developer to become a waiter at a bar and hold hands with a bartender on a rooftop,” Yuta said.

Yuta sucked in a breath when Doyoung leaned against him, exhaling when Doyoung’s head fit against the crook of Yuta’s neck.

“It’s a pretty boring story,” Doyoung said in a low voice. “More mundane than anything you’ve thought up.”

“I’m gonna be honest with you, apart from the whole murder thing, I haven’t really thought of much,” Yuta admitted. “I took you as you were. I’m sure Yangyang has some great ideas though.”

“He asked me if I was a hacker on the run from the government after he found out I worked in IT,” Doyoung said, huffing out a small laugh. “I worked as a software developer for a company. It was pretty decent.”

“Yeah?” Yuta asked. “Probably better than being a waiter, though?”

“I enjoyed it,” Doyoung said. “It’s the right amount of technical and creative for me. I might start doing freelance work again. I mean, I liked the job but I wasn’t too attached to the company. Clearly.”

“Clearly,” Yuta echoed just to let Doyoung know he was paying attention to his words and not just the way his hand felt against Yuta’s.

“I was like that about a lot of things,” Doyoung continued. “It's weird now that I look back and realize how easy it was for me to leave behind things I had invested so much of myself into. I’d built this life for myself and I’d worked so hard to make it into this picture perfect, white picket fence life but when one thing shattered, it was like a domino effect and it became obvious I wasn’t really attached to any of the things I had spent so long thinking I cherished. It’s not like I never loved them but by the time I wanted to leave, I didn’t want to hold on to them. Friends that I was only really friends with because we spent most of our time together and I was too lazy to look for new ones. A job I wasn’t particularly attached to.”

“A wife,” Yuta reminded Doyoung.

“Right,” Doyoung said with a laugh. “I’m serious when I say it wasn’t very dramatic. We just fell out of love.”

“That’s tough, though,” Yuta said. “It can’t be easy to leave behind someone you loved for so long and come to terms with the fact that you don’t anymore.”

“I think I felt guilt more than anything else,” Doyoung admitted. “We tried to make it work but when I thought she was cheating on me, I felt _relieved_. That’s when I knew it was truly over. She wasn’t, by the way. I just really didn’t want to be in the relationship. And neither did she. We tried to make it work and it didn’t so we just broke up and divorced.”

“Is it selfish,” Doyoung continued after a moment of silence. “To say that it still hurt?”

“I don’t think so,” Yuta replied. “I think it’s pretty natural.”

“I left because I couldn’t bear seeing traces of her and my failed attempt at this life everywhere,” Doyoung said. “It feels weird to admit because it sounds self-victimizing. She didn’t drive me out. I just really wanted to leave.”

“Was it something like wanderlust?” Yuta asked, feeling Doyoung’s hair against his neck when he shook his head.

“I think I just didn’t belong there,” Doyoung said. “It sounds quite corny and I know that’s your thing-”

“Hey,” Yuta protested lightly.

“I feel more at home here than I ever have before,” Doyoung said. “Sometimes, I feel sad I wasted so much of my life trying to live a lie.”

“Don’t think of it that way,” Yuta said. “It was your truth at the time. You just grew. Cherish the moments you had and learn from them.”

“Wise words,” Doyoung teased.

“I’m always wise,” Yuta boasted, feeling Doyoung laugh against him.

“Sure, you are,” Doyoung said.

They settled against each other, letting the silence fall comfortably while Yuta processed everything he’d learned. It made so much sense in retrospect, the information clicking into place with everything else that Yuta had observed and filed away. Yuta figured he could think more deeply on it later. For now, he wanted to focus on the man pressed against his side.

“Hey,” Yuta whispered. Doyoung shifted, looking up at him in question. “What did you mean, I already have you?”

“I like you,” Doyoung said bluntly, smiling when Yuta felt himself flush. “Romantically. I might even say I’m a little in love with you but I’m trying not to get ahead of myself.”

“You’re allowed to get ahead of yourself,” Yuta said in a rush. Doyoung grinned wider.

“Why?” He said. “It’s not like we don’t have time.”

Yuta wasn’t sure who initiated the kiss, only that he was in the middle of it before he even knew it had begun. Doyoung’s lips were a warm contrast to the cool air and they made Yuta’s entire body feel like it was on fire. Ever the adrenaline junkie, Yuta chased the feeling, bringing Doyoung closer, gasping when he felt Doyoung moan against him. The kiss was quickly deteriorating into messy pecks filtered through laughter as Yuta wrapped his arms around Doyoung’s waist.

They only broke apart when they heard a familiar creak.

“I _told_ you I knew the code- oh, God,” Renjun screeched. “Guys! Stop!”

“We’re not doing anything,” Doyoung said mildly in an amused tone.

“You’re like halfway on his lap, hyung,” Jeno pointed out, pointedly not looking their way despite his words.

“Does Sicheng know you’re up here?” Yuta asked instead.

“We won’t tell on you if you don’t tell on us,” Jaemin said quickly.

“No deal,” Doyoung said but he got up, pulling Yuta up with him. “We won’t tell Sicheng but we won’t stop him from coming up here either.”

“Fair enough,” Renjun shrugged. “He’s too busy making heart eyes at Jaehyun hyung to notice us gone anyway.”

“Leave the door open,” Doyoung warned the trio as he lead Yuta back inside.

“God, you’re such a parent,” Yuta groaned. “Let the kids have fun.”

“When they’re probably drunk on a roof?” Doyoung asked and Yuta conceded. It was best if they could hear if any one of them toppled off, he guessed.

When they made their way back to the others, Doyoung still didn’t let go of his grip on Yuta’s hand. Nobody seemed to take any particular notice of it, except Taeyong who raised his eyebrows in question but ultimately chose not to ask.

Doyoung asked Yuta out on their first official date a week later, when Ten insisted that they weren’t dating if they didn’t actually go on any dates. Doyoung seemed to have no inclination of leaving, nestling in deeply into their lives, building a home for himself slowly but solidly. Their _someday_ s became everydays and Yuta knew that whatever the past held, Doyoung would continue to be in his future.

**Author's Note:**

> i might come back and work on this some more once my brain is A Little Less Fried. find me on twitter @nyankamoto or on curiouscat.me/nyankamoto


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